Does protein really make a difference?

parias1126

I'm just wondering if protein really makes a huge difference in how much weight you drop. I was dissatisfied with the amount of weight I lost this week. .6 lb this week is just not doing it for me. It may be because I've been doing Jillian's 30 day shred and am gaining muscle, but I would love to lose more. I'm going for 2 lbs a week. Does eating more protein generally help with weight loss? What is a good amount of protein? I know MFP gives you a set number, but is it really correct? Should it be modified a bit? I know the few mornings this week that I had egg whites and a few other things to add more protein, I was definitely fuller for longer.

iKapuniai

Protein is what helps your muscles recover and rebuild and is important to incorporate into any "diet"/lifestyle. Getting enough protein in your diet ensures that what you burn during workouts is fat and not muscle... though both will surely be lost during weight loss, protein helps maintain as much muscle as possible while burning other sources. From what I understand, it's typical to consume 1g of protein per every pound you weigh? Sounds like a LOT to me... I can barely get HALF my weight in grams lol But I could be wrong.

Also... don't worry too much about the scale... focus on your measurements, especially if you're working out/strength training/lifting. I tossed my scale a long time ago because it was pissing me off lol If you're dieting and working out and don't see the scale moving, you're probably losing inches, so keep that in mind.

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

Goal_Line

Consuming LEAN protein is important. It is critical for muscle growth, consuming it makes you feel fuller, and its digestion is not as thermally efficient as other foods, it requires more energy to digest it, which means there is less energy being stored as fat.

1 gram per lb of body weight may be a bit much. Weight lifters sometimes use that benchmark. Others recommend 1 gram per lb of lean body mass – which is what I do – and I lift regularly. However lots of professionals say you can get by with much less.

On a secondary note I would not freak out about only losing 0.6 lbs in a week. Fat loss is not weight loss. Your weight can fluctuate from day to day independent of fat loss, so take a long term view, be patient, and rely on other metrics of progress such as your measurements or stamina.

taso42

I'm just wondering if protein really makes a huge difference in how much weight you drop.

No.

But it makes a difference in body composition, i.e, retaining or gaining muscle.

mmapags

Protein help preserve or build lean muscle mass. It doesn't really help lose weight. A calorie deficit is what causes weight loss.

Geminieve24

Don't ever skimp on your protein!

And remember: its all about the life-style change. Be patient with your self. Losing 2 pounds a week will do you good in the long run. Losing a lot of weight fast may run you the risk of gaining it all back.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/protein-weight-loss

mustgetmuscles1

I'm just wondering if protein really makes a huge difference in how much weight you drop.

No.

But it makes a difference in body composition, i.e, retaining or gaining muscle.

Protein help preserve or build lean muscle mass. It doesn't really help lose weight. A calorie deficit is what causes weight loss.

What they said.^^^^

wackyfunster

You are not gaining muscle if you are eating at a deficit.

Also, protein HAS been proven to have a profound effect on the effectiveness of diets for weight loss. In fact, the effectiveness of ketogenic diets has actually been shown to be due to increased protein intake and reduced calorie intake (i.e. if you eat tons of protein and carbs, you get the same effect as tons of protein and fat). Caloric deficit is the MOST IMPORTANT factor in weight loss, but if your protein intake is inadequate, you will lose a lot of muscle mass, in addition to fat, which will lead to lower BMR, and less aesthetically appealing results. Also, cardio is another thing that encourages loss of muscle mass: last study I read on the subject compared two comparable calorie and exercise expenditure groups... cardio group lost 32 pounds (17 pounds muscle, 15 pounds fat), weight group lost 26 pounds (26 pounds fat, 0 pounds muscle) on average. Think about that!

Protein also has a high thermic effect, so if you are eating 200g of protein a day, you are actually increasing your net effective caloric deficit by ~160 calories/day.

So yes, protein does help you to lose weight. It also helps you to lose FAT, and preserve muscle, more importantly.

MaraDiaz

It's been not quite 3 weeks yet since I gave up bread and bread products. My daily carbs are much lower than before. I have no idea what the science behind it is, and I don't really care at the moment. All I know is that I feel better, I'm not nearly as hungry, and I'm even starting to have more energy. Also, most of my binge tendencies were centered around things like pastries. No bread means no pastries.

Too soon to tell whether this is sustainable or not and of course it's individual. But I'm happy with my higher protein, lower carb diet so far.